Shannen Doherty: I told my husband I'm going to die

Shannen Doherty, who is battling breast cancer, has confessed she hit rock bottom in the early part of her fight - in her bleakest moment telling her husband he should expect her to die.

The former 90210 star says that her husband, photographer Kurt Iswarienko, has been a tower of strength, even when her situation has overwhelmed her. Shannen earlier this week revealed the disease may have spread beyond her lymph nodes, requiring chemotherapy, and after that, radiation.

'I told him, "You need to enjoy every single second you have with me because I'm going to be dead in five years," and he just burst out in tears,' she recalls of her darkest time. 'Thankfully, that phase was short.'

'My marriage was always strong, but it's made my marriage a thousand times stronger,' Shannen told Entertainment Tonight. 'I could not have gotten through this without my husband.'

She has also had another tower of strength to back her up - her dog Bowie - who Shannen strongly believes was actually the first to know she was in danger. In a startling revelation that seemingly backs up countless other stories from cancer patients who say their pets knew of their illness before they did, Shannen says Bowie zeroed in on her affected area, and would not let up.

'She would obsessively sniff right here on my right side for a long time before,' the star told ET. 'So, it made sense when I got diagnosed.

'When I got back from surgery, [Bowie] again was kind of right in this area,' she says. 'Then when I had my first chemo, she would sniff my entire body up and down. And she was always protective before, but she has become this crazy, protective dog. It's hard to get close to me when she's around.'